Italy – Tuscany

Welcome to Tuscany ! Tuscany has a timeless familiarity with its iconic Florentine cathedral dome, gently rolling hills soaked in soft morning mist and sculptural cypress walkways.  This region in central Italy is postcard material ! Golden wheat fields, silver olive […]

Welcome to Tuscany !

Tuscany has a timeless familiarity with its iconic Florentine cathedral dome, gently rolling hills soaked in soft morning mist and sculptural cypress walkways.  This region in central Italy is postcard material ! Golden wheat fields, silver olive groves and pea-green vineyards marching in sharp terraced rows on hillsides form a graceful introduction to soul-soaring medieval hilltop villages, mountain ranges and fertile forests in the north, and a garland of jewelled islands located along the coastal south.  Tuscany demands you to get out, explore, hike and ding your bicycle bell, as this dramatic landscape presents an unrefusable invitation.

Florence

Few cities are so compact in size or so packed with extraordinary art and architecture masterpieces at every turn.  Florence is such a treasure trove that it would take weeks to see everything the city has to offer.  Some of its sights are among Italy’s best-known icons – Ponte Vecchio, Michelangelo’s David, Brunelleschi’s Dome – and the entire city is a showcase of the Italian Renaissance, the humanist artistic movement that broke Europe out of the Dark Ages.

Pisa

Pisa is an easy day trip from Florence.  The Leaning Tower is just one of many noteworthy sights in this compelling city.  The town centre with a vibrant cafe and bar scene, balancing an enviable portfolio of well-maintained Romanesque buildings, Gothic churches and Renaissance piazzas with a lively street life dominated by locals rather than tourists – a charm you will definitely not discover if you restrict your visit to Piazza dei Miracoli.

Siena

Siena is likely Italy’s loveliest medieval city, and a trip worth making even if you are in Tuscany for just a few days. Siena’s heart is its central piazza known as Il Campo, known worldwide for the famous Palio run here, a horse race run around the piazza two times every summer.

Among Italy’s finest churches, Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is Sienna’s magnificent cathedral.  A work of art inside and out. The stunning façade created by Giovanni Pisano is faced in patterns of white, green and red marble, decorated with sculptures, Venetian mosaics above the doorways, and a beautiful rose window. It is one of the finest works of Italian Gothic.

San Gimignano

To see what Tuscany looked like in the Middle Ages, choose the almost pristine medieval town of San Gimignano, located between Siena & Florence. When UNESCO began promoting its restoration, it still retained 13 of its original 70 towers, giving San Gimignano its unmistakable skyline. mostly, you’ll enjoy strolling its narrow winding streets and walking its largely intact 13th-century walls to admire the towers that were as much status symbols for the rival families that built them as they were fortified homes.

Montepulciano

Standing high atop a hill in southern Tuscany not too far from Siena, Montepulciano is a medieval town of rare beauty highly recommended visiting in Tuscany. The city, full of elegant Renaissance palaces, ancient churches, charming squares and hidden corners, boasts vast panoramas all over the wonderful Val d’Orcia and Val di Chiana valleys that surround it. Piazza Grande is the heart of Montepulciano and the setting for its main events, including the barrel-racing Bravio delle Botti contest held in August every year and much more. A walk through Montepulciano is the best way to view the town and its beautiful landmarks as well as enjoy stunning views of the surrounding countryside covered by vineyards producing the famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Pienza

Pienza is a tiny village in southern Tuscany in the beautiful valley called Val d’Orcia highly recommended for a visit. The village is located about 20 kilometers east of The impression one gets, walking through the narrow streets of Pienza, is that of an extremely perfect and proportioned ensemble; somewhat as if you were admiring a Renaissance city depicted in a wonderful painting.Montalcino and a few kilometers to the west of Montepulciano amidst gentle undulating hills and wonderful natural landscapes. Pienza enjoys a strategic position standing high atop a hill, dominating all the Orcia Valley with extraordinary views. The impression one gets, walking through the narrow streets of Pienza, is that of an extremely perfect and proportioned ensemble; somewhat as if you were admiring a Renaissance city depicted in a wonderful painting.

Montalcino

To the south of Siena is a classic fairytale hilltop town, set within a full circle of fortified walls and watched over by a mighty castle of medieval perfection. Montalcino, west of Pienza, is a beautiful village immersed in the breathtaking Val d’Orcia Natural Park, renowned all over the world for the production of its precious Brunello red wine.

The town has scarcely changed in appearance since the 16th century. Once you get up to the town, a magnificent spectacle unfolds for your eyes: rolling sunny hills dotted with yellow and red flowers, ancient oak trees, picturesque olive groves, scenic country roads winding through perfect vineyards and isolated cypress trees atop hills.

Chianti

The diverse and amazing panorama in Tuscany is distinguished with its diverse and scenic landscapes; perhaps the most famous being Chianti. Located in an area that encompasses Florence and Siena, Chianti is as varied in its scenery as it is in its wines. The land of Chianti is dotted with typical little Tuscan townswhich will inspire your imagination and offer you the warm hospitality characteristic of Chianti. Towns like Greve in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and smaller borgos like San Gusmè and San Donato in Poggio are full of history, traditions and delicious variations of their own special brand of Chianti wine.

Of course, it is almost impossible to travel through Chianti without contemplating at least one or two opportunities to taste the many flavors that are cultivated in this area. Many of the vineyards have created a place dedicated to wine tasting, where you can visit the “cantina” or wine cellars, the vineyards and the production of the famous Chianti Classico.

Arezzo

Arezzo boasts a wide range of sites to see including fortresses, monuments, churches, and museums which all offer visitors a chance to step back into history. There are even the remains of a Roman amphitheater! The Church of San Francesco is probably the most famous in Arezzo, with the incredible Early Renaissance fresco cycle by Piero della Francesca depicting the Legend of the True Cross. Followed by the impressive Piazza Grande, where they hold a jousting matching twice a year.   Highly recommended to visit is the newly restored Medicean Fortress, and a visit to the Cathedral dedicated to San Donato, as well as the Church of San Domenico with the wooden Crucifix by Cimabue.

Volterra

Volterra is a charming town situated in the province of Pisa, not far from Florence, Siena and the coast as well. people can still visit part of the town’s majestic protective walls built during the 5th to 4th centuries BC – including the well-preserved Porta dell’Arco and Porta Diana, two gates for entering the city – as well as the Acropolis that houses several buildings and the foundations of two ancient temples. There are many Roman remains to visit as well, like the Roman Theater, dating back to the end of the first century AC, built in a natural amphiteatheater shape area.

Island of Elba

Elba is the biggest island of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest in Italy after Sardinia and Sicily. Together with eight other islands, including Giglio, Giannutri and Montecristo, it is part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago, the largest marine park in Europe. What really makes Elba famous and renowned are its clear and blue sea and beautiful beaches. The extraordinary richness of its landscapes, both land and marine, turns the island of Elba into a unique destination in Tuscany.

When to go and weather

Recommendations:  For details & to plan your holiday to Tuscany & Italy, please drop in a mail at naresh@bespokeserenity.com or call +91 98104 99010.  It would be our pleasure to assist in creating this memorable trip for our valued clients.